Saga Diversion--An AU Obi-Wan diary starting mid-ROTS--Updated 5/25

Still have pneumonia after 20 days and am going to the doctor, but putting up an entry for you nice people.

ENTRY 4

Today was one of our longest Council meetings since I joined the ranks. I have seen a matter of business occupy several hours, but it has usually had to do with the Jedi Trials or the shuffling of assets in the Outer Rim.

Today had to do with 'shuffling of assets,' but the first half hour was occupied by a political report from Master Gallia. I may be the Chancellor's representative--against his will, no less--but she has been tasked with determining the loyalties of the Senate. Palpatine has promised multiple times that he will call for an immediate election of a peacetime Chancellor once the war comes to an end. Master Windu has been skeptical since the start where Palpatine is concerned. I am not sure that a man who has kept that office for thirteen years will give it up without a fight.

Master Gallia is of the opinion that the Chancellor will call for an election because the Senators will look favorably on his ability to keep a promise, but there is no guarantee that he will stay out of the race. I will be discreetly monitoring what meetings he takes, which Senators he is showing unusual favor to, etc. Master Gallia has her eyes on the contenders, most notably Senator Organa.

Because this is a special election--much like the one that put Palpatine in office--there will be no Republic-wide polling or a drawn-out campaign. The candidates will be chosen in session and the election will be limited to the elected officials who represent the will of the people.

While I think that Senator Organa would make a noble Chancellor, I think that Padme would make a better choice. I would say as much, but there are obviously other variables to consider. And I'm not sure how well Anakin would enjoy being First Gentleman of the Republic. He has balked at the idea of standing in my shadow and this would be exponentially more difficult.

I met Anakin and Ahsoka for dinner at Dex's. Ahsoka does not seem to know that things have changed between myself and Anakin. I wonder how many people catch sight of my wariness or can sense my fear. We spoke about her training and Anakin regaled her with stories of the time on Ketaris when he came to my rescue...thrice. Because it's the first time that I've seen him smile in three days, I suffered the mild humiliation.

Anakin's reassignment to the home guard will be posted tomorrow in its official capacity. Those who follow the war as avidly as they do the smashball standings will probably see the wisdom in a weary hero being given furlough. I simply want to give him what is needed to heal.

Hmm, Obi-Wan's already making a bit of a difference with that last bit. Also, Anakin as First Gentleman? I love it! Also, yeah. He's right about Palps. "I step down, and also announce my candidacy for the chancellorship!" Cue epic facepalming.

This morning, my schedule was altered by an addition from the Chancellor's office. It is a well-known fact that the Chancery Advisory Committee meets on a weekly basis, but I did not think that I would be privy to those meetings.

I largely played the part of a briefing holo, reciting the same information to the Chancellor's counselors that I had given in my report on the Outer Rim Sieges. The Chancellor made several suggestions that Knight Skywalker be reassigned to cover the gaps in our defenses, but I patiently pointed out that Knight Skywalker could not be in three thousand places at once. I earned a chuckle from one or two of the counselors and a wan smile from the Chancellor.

I did not mean to belittle Anakin or suggest that there are three thousand gaps in our defenses, but Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin view the Galaxy in a similar fashion. Both of them seem to believe that one solution should be able to cure all ills. For Anakin, that solution is his power. For Palpatine, the solution is Anakin. Anakin occasionally branches out to think of Palpatine as a man who represents the solutions, but I have seen too often that when things go wrong, Anakin questions why the Chosen One is being held back.

Palpatine insinuated sometime later that the Jedi were keeping its 'most beloved hero' under house arrest. I gave Palpatine a wan smile of my own and asked if he truly believed that Anakin was being allowed a respite because I disapproved of his heroics. I frankly think that the Chancellor thinks that to be exactly the case.

I think I have been wise to keep Anakin out of Palpatine's councils this week.

Enjoying this so much! You've done a great job capturing Obi's humor and caring for Anakin, while balancing those things out with his desire to work for the greater good. Loved the comment about Anakin being "First Gentleman!"

Loving the tension in the fifth entry, and Obi-Wan's observations on the similar viewpoint of Anakin and Palpatine. Very excited to see where this goes.

I finished my second round of antibiotics today and they actually seem to have worked, since I'm only coughing mildly now and can breathe at night and am not running a fever of 102.4 now. So, to celebrate, here's another entry! Sorry they have been few and far between this month, but I didn't expect to spend all this time in bed and not wanting to be awake.

ENTRY 6

I was asked to substitute for Master Yoda's class with the younglings today. Since Anakin has been moping when he thinks that my Force-sense has turned a blind eye, I asked him to assist. He dragged his own Padawan into it and we spent several rewarding hours correcting saber grips and giving the less-able younglings words of encouragement when they felt the brief tickle of a very low-level remote bolt. Ahsoka was particularly helpful, since she has been in their shoes more recently. Anakin was not the model of patience, but he has never lacked in enthusiasm where lightsabers are concerned and I think it all went well.

When he asked leave to visit Padme as though he were still a Padawan chafing under his Master's watchful eye, I stipulated that he not stay overnight. I do not look forward to explaining the situation to the Council and I like the idea of answering questions from a sly teenaged Togruta even less. Frankly, I'm astounded that she has not given Anakin the third degree, but I do not want to ask for fear of making her think she's done something wrong.

In Master Yoda's absence, my main concern has been keeping Anakin and the Chancellor from crossing paths. In any situation, this might have resulted in a comedy of errors. For now, I believe that I am simply a worried physicist keeping an eye on the position of a fulcrum. I feel that I do not yet understand where Anakin's balance points lie.

If I had not promised Anakin and Yoda that I would keep this between the three of us in the Jedi Order, I would consult Master Windu on the matter of shatterpoints. I think that he has been cataloguing Anakin's shatter points since the moment that a 9-year-old boy dared to ask for a place among us, but those things have sometimes changed. I have seen Anakin turn childish tenencies into lessons learned, even if those lessons have tested every ounce of patience that I possess. His adolescent selfishness has served him well in many strategic moments, mostly in giving him a sense of self-preservation that I think all former podracers lack.

I am waiting with furrowed brow to see what will become of the weak spot that once formed his forbidden relationship with Padme. I think that his decision to trust me was crucial, as was my decision to show compassion. I think that Master Yoda will be able to see the wisdom in how Anakin could benefit from this marriage. I do not know what role she has had in the development of the trusted comrade-in-arms who I used to call Padawan, but I do not know what kind of warrior Anakin would have been without her. Perhaps he would not have lived this long because of how little he thought he had to live for.

One interesting difference of opinion between Knight and Lady Skywalker is their opinions on the terms of victory for this war. I fully believe that Padme is so devoted to liberty that if we were to force a cease-fire, she would propose that the Confederacy of Independent Systems be given the option to peacefully establish a legitimate government. Her diplomatic efforts have shown that she does not think of the Separatists as inferior in ideals or intelligence and as the woman who once watched her world fall to the Trade Federation, she would have a natural aversion to forcing their cooperation.

Sometimes, I think that Anakin would rather die than feel that he had lost this war. Victory is never certain, I am hoping that he will not have to face that situation.

Sorry, as soon as I was done with pneumonia, they reorganized my department and I started a new position at my old department this morning after a weekend where I went to a fanficcing sleepover for a day and a half.

ENTRY 7

Today was very ordinary by comparison. The Chancellor called for neither myself nor Anakin. There were no surprise attacks. The Council meeting only took the entire morning.

I seized the opportunity to fly an ordinary patrol as is my occasional duty. I chastised a freighter pilot for speeding in the upper atmosphere and investigated a possible scout ship in the outer system, but spent most of the time fielding requests for escorts. Anakin was with Ahsoka for a training evaluation this afternoon, so I flew with the squadron on my own.

I have heard too many Jedi complain that the Clones have no real loyalty or alliances, but Anakin's squad does seem to treat him as a favorite older brother instead of commander. One of the pilots suggested that I was flying sluggishly and that I might benefit from having a relief pilot named Skywalker for a few hours. I did not take it personally.

One of the ships requiring my escort was a medical transport coming in from the Mid-Rim area. It is not as intense a battle theater as the Outer Rim Sieges, but it has its own difficulties. Six Jedi were injured recently in a civil war that cost many lives, but ensured that the planet remained with the Republic. Two of the Jedi were on the medical transport, but four of them were too badly injured to risk the trip to Coruscant. The younger of the two was not much older than Anakin's Padawan and watching a 17-year-old boy wear a brave face while the medical droids proposed prosthetic options for his right leg robbed me of quite a bit of my calm.

I received new marching orders today. It seems that Clone Intelligence has pinpointed a likely location for General Grievous and the Chancellor strongly advised the Jedi Council that it would be in the Galaxy's best interests to send young Skywalker.

Naturally, the doubters of the Chosen One who seem to have swelled the ranks of the Council since Anakin arrived strongly advised me to take his place. After careful consideration and a few hours of contemplating who at the Temple could be my former Padawan's unofficial child-minder, I agreed to take command on one condition: that Anakin come with me.

Yoda gave me some very shrewd, pointed looks through his hologram, but I reminded him as well as the rest of the Council that Anakin was the real hero when the Chancellor needed to be rescued. I did not precisely repeat my admiration for him rescuing the Chancellor with me unconscious on his back, but I insisted that success was dependent on Anakin's involvement.

Master Windu disapproved--Anakin has a Padawan--but I sagely suggested that Padawan Tano has seen enough of war for a few days. In the end, the Council agreed to allow Anakin to come.

Anakin was more difficult to persuade. He has enjoyed this furlough in spite of my constant vigilance. He is as tired of this war as the rest of us, but he paradoxically resisted the idea of leaving his wife for the purpose of ending the war itself. I have the feeling that by the time that we arrive at Utapau, I will have put him into a trance for the good of all.

I find it funny how we as fan fic authors (myself just starting to write a couple things) often cast Windu as a disapproving / scowling / grumpy council master that ends up going along with the plan in the end.

Note: This has a bit of spoilers for the Season 5 finale of Clone Wars.

ENTRY 9

We have a long flight ahead of us. Tradition dictates that we should spend most of the time in meditation and preparation, but the clones are, by nature, men of action. They tend to fidget discreetly when we spend too much time in silence. We had the obligatory briefing so that the Army of the Republic agreed to wait for a signal from the will of the Force. Anakin recommended several possible diversions and plan B's.

And then we retreated to our quarters. For the first time since we returned from the Invisible Hand, Anakin and I prepared for battle by negotiation. He agreed to let me take the lead. I agreed to refrain from pulling the Master rank as I used to do. He set a timetable for when we can first call for backup. I reduced the number of hours that we had to wait, since we should not tempt the Force and it's cruel to make the Army feel extraneous.

He then smirked and said that we had come a long way from Geonosis. I gathered from the smirk that he was thinking that he was no longer the hotheaded young Padawan who bristled at my every teaching and I am no longer the crotchety old Master who thought of everything in black and white. I could not help but think of his wife, however, and what awaits us when Master Yoda returns to Corsucant.

I have no way of knowing the consequences of Anakin's actions. He has seen the effect of an expulsion from the Jedi Order; when his Padawan was driven out, he risked much to bring her back. When she rejected the offer of readmittance, he risked even more to bring her back into the fold. I believe that the young man who lost an arm at Geonosis would have gladly stomped out of the Jedi Temple with only a few hesitations. The man who has been fighting this war since then is not so cavalier with his loyalties.

Tomorrow, we arrive at Utapau. Theoretically, our cruiser is under radio silence, which means that the good General should not see us coming. As a matter of practicality, he should have been looking over his durasteel shoulder since the day he chose to fight our Republic. That sort of thinking is more along the lines of Anakin's personality, but that confidence in our mission is infectious.

I believe that this is a war that should have never been started. I do my part and seek out the will of the Force, but there is a reason that I am infamous for my tendency to negotiate. I would have preferred to face the Separatists with my lightsaber a thousand lightyears away. I fight because they do not agree with that philosophy.

The stars--or the will of the Force--are aligning, however. Dooku has fallen and when we strike at Grievous, we will have decapitated the military arm of the Separatist movement. Battle droids are fearless, but they are also without ambition. They will not be the ones that look deep within their programming and decide to continue to die for their cause.

With Grievous gone, I believe we will end the war against the Separatists and turn back to the more troubling matters at hand.